Computer whizzes in new era of Illawarra art

There will not be a paint tin, brush or easel in sight when Project Contemporary Artspace's latest exhibition opens on Friday.

Jaya Degur and Gino Chiodo are part of the digital art exhibition Play/Pause at Project. Picture: ADAM McLEAN

There will not be a paint tin, brush or easel in sight when Project Contemporary Artspace's latest exhibition opens on Friday.

In its Play/Pause exhibit, computer keyboards become the brush and screens are the canvas, as the Keira Street gallery unveils a collection of digital art comprising film, digital drawings and even moving GIFs.

"Art is about experimentation, and this is something not seen in Wollongong," gallery president Laura Crichton said.

"We wanted to bring something unique to the gallery."

Up to 16 artists from the Illawarra and beyond have submitted a range of work, from music videos to digitally manipulated polaroid prints.

Bellambi artist Jaya Degur has shared an artwork in an artwork, creating a time-lapse video of his process in crafting an image on his computer as his seven-hour marathon session is distilled into a five-minute clip.

"I wanted to show my method, because this is something a lot of people don't know about or how it works," Mr Degur said.

"I wanted to shine a bit of light onto a new era."

Port Kembla's Gino Chiodo's set of digital prints occupies one corner of the gallery. Aged 83, Chiodo has only used digital methods for three years but relishes the opportunities it gives to artists.

"I use my computer mouse like a paintbrush," he said.

"I enjoy both painting and digital, but digital is a different type of art. Digital is the new art."